Countdown 'til move-in by Christmas! And a little travelogue...

Sometime last month, I switched from thinking about our new place as a construction site. I now see it as our soon-to-be Hawaii home. It's looking very livable, and it's easy to slip into the reverie of Robert and me sitting on the lanai with a glass of wine, watching the sunset. What I noticed today (Sunday as I write this) is the serene quiet that comes from living on 11 acres.  I can hear the Pacific waves crashing sometimes, and birdsong fills the jungle.

One major accomplishment since the last blog is the custom barn doors and screens are completed and installed on both the main house and the master suite. Eric (the lead carpenter) and Ramon are rightfully proud of their work. I told them that the doors are so fine they look like a piece of furniture! Eric even added a custom Sapele wood cover over the rails from which they hang. 

The electricians completed everything they can do until the kitchen cabinets are in, which is scheduled for this week. Their next big job is to hang the handmade sconces and pendant lights...once the shipment arrives from Bali. Silly me, I thought since I saw them in a catalog that they would be available "off the shelf". Without them installed, we can't get our final inspection, and I am betting they will hold us up!

Assuming that our solar installation guy Jeremiah completes his work in a couple weeks, the next blog will focus on living "off the grid". We have solar panels and batteries with no connection at all to the local grid. We get our water the old-fashioned way, by collecting and then purifying rainwater. 

PS The fire, smoke and threat of the lava has subsided for a bit (the lava flow stopped a scant 170 yards above Pahoa Village Road after burning just one house-it may be temporary but we are enjoying it!). 

TRAVELOGUE

It's amazing just how magical the island of Hawaii can be. Last week friends visited from L.A. We went out on a night snorkeling trip where we floated off a diving platform while enormous, 8-14' wingspan manta rays swam within a few feet of us. Once I got over the shock of their proximity, and convinced myself that those enormous mouths only eat plankton, not 60 year old guys, I relaxed and opened myself up to the experience. It became just the manta rays and me while I floated mesmerized, almost hypnotized by the majestic grace of these huge creatures-I highly recommend you give this a try when in Hawaii!

Even better is what happened twice this week. Every morning I hike to the ocean, then swim in the 81 degree water off Kehena Beach.  On Sunday before my friends Dan and Phil arrived for a few days, I was able to swim out and play for a long time with wild dolphins right off Kehena Beach. Monday and Tuesday, we were all on the lookout, but no dolphins came by. Wednesday, the last morning my friends were in town, a large pod of 30-50 dolphins swam near Kehena again. We donned mask and flippers and swam out to be greeted by playful spinner dolphins. They pinged us with their sonar while swimming circles around and then underneath us. Just like with the mantas, the proximity of these wild, beautiful mammals gives you pause for a few moments. Then you realize that the dolphins just want to play, and they seem as delighted to be around us as we are to be with them. 

After these magical swims, you have a huge smile the rest of the day. As a French woman friend put it when I told her how wonderful I felt, she said, "yes, you feel like giggles all day long!". 

Custom made pocket door pickled to match walls-come on in!

Custom made screen doors in Sapele wood

Stefano climbing and cutting coconuts

No can openers were available so Stefano resorted to a trusty, rusty machete to open a coconut. The juice is incredibly refreshing...and I make a mean "Puna Colada" with it!

This guy had fallen from a tree and was happily blooming on the ground last week. 

Bathroom tiles going up!

The Hale LaLaLa crew checking out one of our 400 coconut palms

Ricky peeling an orange from our fruit grove

Jonathan during his visit

The electricians finished almost all the lighting and wiring this week

Custom-made doors from afar

Balinese Capiz shell doors in master suite

Look at the play of light on the lanai ceiling and the doors, wow! 

Balinese Capiz shell doors with custom made Sapele wood frames and screens in main house suite

Acacia wood floor marries well with the Sapele of the door frame

Dan at Uncle Robert's Beach

Phil at Uncle Robert's Beach

Dan and Phil touring the house and gardens

Dan is a landscape architect. He was inspired by the tropical gardens he saw!

Myself, Michael Barton and David Rubin after the snorkel trip-Elation all around!

Tadeya and friend, and David Rubin, Michael Barton and me before the  manta swim

Manta pics from our boat crew. I had an underwater camera but was so taken with the experience that  I didn't want to interrupt with fumbling with a camera! By the way, note the markings distinct to each manta. Local researchers have catalogued and named all of the over 230 mantas of the Kona coast.